Disgusting yuck !!!!!

We live by the beach in south Florida and had a similar experience.

We have the bigger 160 and the great Cookshack cover for it.

We are in a nightly saltwater storm and high humidity the rest of the time.

The CS is tightly sealed,especially with the cover.

I had been doing most of the cooking on my FEC,to practice for comps.

I love to cook on the 160,so I opened it to do some butts, and it had mounds of cotton like mold.

I cleaned and hosed it well,and sun dried it.

Cooked the butts the next day and it was like normal.

Since then,I put an Al 1/2 pan from Sam's filled with cheap cat litter[activated charcoal ?] on the middle rack and haven't had a problem since.

Guys, Here in Michigan I plug the upper and lower vents with a wad of tinfoil to keep out the mice.
Humidity is a definate problem, and I can understand the mold events.
Kitty litter might be a great awnser to the humidity.
I had mice invade my 008. I was so ticked off. I scrubbed everything with Simple Green and then a bleach water spritz then a huge clearwater rinse and a week, air dry.
Then I did a 5 hr. reseasoning. She works great again.
Now I plug both the vent hole as well as the grease drain hole to prevent this situation.

I know a solution for mold/mildew issues in RV closets is to burn a light bulb in them. So, what would the thought of burning a small night light in the smokette.. just to keep enough heat in it to push out the moisture? If it works in an RV.. I'd think it might be worth a try in a small smoker box.

How would you do it? There are some small replacement two prong plugs that attach to zip cord with a "cam". Easy on/off of the plug to thread thru the drain hole. Once the cord becomes abused enough.. snip off a 1/2" and start over.

Excellent idea, Bill.

I haven't experienced any mold or mildew in my 008. It might have some to do with the salt air. Gets very humid here also, but no salt.

I use a bolt with a big heavy flat washer and a nut with nylon insert......When the smoker is not in use, I place this in the vent hole on top. It keeps insects out. I don't worry about the drin hole. I keep my Smokin-Tex on my stand in my garage. So the temps aren't changing as much as the outside temps and humidity.

I clean the inside with lemon juice and vinegar, seems to work fine, then wipe over with several wet papper towels.....

dan

Try Damp Rids. I have a covered 008 at a 2nd home in Florida with weather conditions similar to those mentioned by Tom. Since the unit is only used 6 or 7 times a year, I had the same issue with mold.

I use Damp Rids in the closets, cars, etc., so I thought I would try them in the smoker. No problems since. Works like a charm.

That's interesting and a great suggestion.. I totally forgot about this remedy.. It made me think of something else I've used. When I was a kid.. W-A-Y back yonder.. we had a basement. It really got moist down there, especially in the winter. My dad had a rubber compositioned tub. Over that tub hung a screen thingie that held a chemical compound called, as I remember, calcium chloride... a very hydroscopic material. It would suck the moisture out of the air and the excess moisture would drip in the tub to later be tossed. I guess this could be recycled by placing in the sun in the summer to evaporate the water bringing you back to the calcium chloride crystals.

That said.. I remember going into Camping World (and I've seen it at other places)like drugstores.. it appears this company has modified their packaging but still essentially the same process. A great way to go.. essentially non toxic.. unless you drink it.. won't harm the stainless as it stays self contained.

Go to their website and there is a good FAQ